Package



Filed July 1, 1940 .2 Sheets-Sheet 1 06. a, 1942. F; D. PALMER 2,304,373

PACKAGE Filed July. 1, 1940 '2 Shee t s-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 8, 1942 UNITED PACKAGE Frank D. Palmer, Chicago, 111., assignor to Sealtest, Inc., Baltimore, Md., a corporation of Maryland Application July 1, 1940, Serial No. 343,382

1 Claim.

This invention relates to an improved package construction particularly adapted to the packaging of a food product which is prepared and sold in a dish, for example, a bakery product such as a cak or pie, or an ice cream pie. The package structure, although particularly adapted to packaging of products such as mentioned, may of course be used for packaging other products and the foregoing reference to the packaging of food products is intended merely to serve in an explanatory capacity without limiting the invention to the packaging of the products specifically mentioned.

The main objects of the invention are to provide a packag of the character indicated which may be produced at a very low cost so as to avoid the addition of excessive charges to the cost of the product packaged; to provide such a package structure which may be produced in flat or collapsed form and which may be quickly and easily set up in association with the packaged goods; to provide an arrangement which involves no interlocking tongues or the like but which will nevertheless be effectively held in assembled and closed condition; and in general it is the object of the invention to provide an improve-d package structure of the character indicated.

Other objects and advantages of the invention will be understood by reference to the following specification and accompanying drawings (2 sheets) wherein there is disclosed a package structure embodying a selected form of the invention.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a perspective illustrating the completed package;

Fig. 2 is a section on the line 22 of Fig. 1;

Figs. 3 and 4 are plan views of the bottom and top forming members, respectively, of the improved package structure; and

Figs. 5, 6 and 7 are perspectives, respectively, of the parts of the package structure.

Referring now to the drawings, the improved package structure comprises a bottom member H], a top member II and an annular band I2. The bottom member 10 is preferably formed from a paper board member or blank of the character shown in Figure 3. In the illustrated structure the package is shown as being of hexagonal form. Hence, the blank for the bottom member In as shown in Figure 3 comprises a bottom wall panel l3 of hexagonal form. From each of the six edges of the bottom wall l3 there extend side wall forming flaps M, the same being integrally formed. with the bottom wall I3 and being foldable relative thereto at the edges of the bottom member as indicated by fold lines I5, which coincide with the periphery of the hexagonal bottom wall l3.

The top member I l is also preferably formed of paper board of a suitable thickness, said member being in general of the same form as the bottom member and comprising a top Wall part It and side wall forming flaps H, which are foldable relative to th top wall It along fold lines such as indicated at I8.

The bottom member I3 is adapted to receive a product such as a pie or ice cream pie as indicated in dotted lines at IS in Figure 2, such product being prepared and packaged in a glass or other plates 20, as also indicated in dotted lines in Figure 2. The product to be packaged is placed centrally on the bottom wall I3 whereupon the side wall forming flaps M are bent upwardly into receptacle forming position as shown in Figures 2 and '7. Incident to the upward bending of the side wall flaps 14, the product to be packaged will be more or less automatically adjusted to its proper central position on the bottom wall l3 and it is preferable that the size of the bottom member be such that its sidewall flaps I4 will be supported against inward collapsing by engagement with the periphery of the pie plate 20 or other receptacle of the packaged product.

The top member I6 is next assembled with the bottom member, the side wall forming flaps I'l thereof being bent downwardly substantially as shown in Figure 6 and caused to telescopically fit over the side walls of the bottom member. The top wall I6 of the top member will rest on the upper edges 2| of the side walls I4 of the lower memher and the depending side wall I! of said upper member will be operative to hold th upwardly extending walls of the bottom member in their folded, receptacle forming position as shown in Figure 2. The side wall flaps of the bottom member will be held in receptacle forming position even though the side walls of the upper member spring outwardly slightly as indicated in Figure 6, since the upper edges of the side walls of the bottom member engage the side walls of the top member in the plane of the inside surface of the top wall II and are therefore not permitted to spring outwardly to any substantial extent.

In any event, if the inherent resiliency of the paper board from which the parts are formed should be sufficient to cause the wall members I4 of the lower member to spring outwardly with suflicient force to raise the upper member, the side walls of the latter will nevertheless continue to extend over the outside of the lower member, so that it is a simple operation to press the upper member downwardly while holding its side wall flaps in depending position to restore the top and bottom members to properly assembled relation as shown in Figure 2.

The top and bottom members are effectively held in assembled relation by means of the band-like member I2 which may be formed from a strip of paper board of a width corresponding to the vertical dimension of the package, i. e., the vertical dimension of the side walls I4 of the bottom member. Such strip has its ends united, as indicated at 22, by means of adhesive, stapling or otherwise, and it is suitablyscored or creased transversely along lines indicated at 23 which will permit the annular band thus formed to be distended into a hexagonal form corresponding to the hexagonal shape of the top and bottom members of the package. Said annular band is slipped downwardly over the top member ll until it encircles the side walls of both the top and bottom members substantially as shown in Figure 2.

As indicated in Figure 2, the size of the hexagonal top and bottom walls l6 and I3, respectively, is preferably substantially the same, so that the walls of the bottom member are offset inwardly slightly beyond a normal perpendicular angle by the overlapping side wall portions of the top member. The annular band I2 is thus adapted to fit snugly around the sides of the package structure at both the top and bottom surfaces'thereof, and it serves to maintain the side walls ll of the top member substantially in face to face contact with the underlying wall portions of the bottom member. In any event, sufficient frictional contact is produced between the side walls of the top and bottom members to cause the same to be effectively held in assembled relationship when the encircling band I2 is applied.

It will be observed that the described structure embodies no interlocking hooks or similar fastening devices which must be engaged in the setting up of the package structure. The operations required are all of such nature that they may be very easily and quickly performed by hand and the elements of the package structure are of very simple character involving no difficult production operations. The cost of producing and employing the package structure is thus maintained very low, so that only a minimum charge need be added to the package produced to cover the cost of the packaging. The package structure results in a clean-cut and neat-appearing package which effectively protects the package content. The package may also be opened without difficulty and this is, of course, a desirable attribute in packages of this character.

Changes in the construction may be made without departing from the spirit of the invention, the scope of which should be determined-by reference to the following claims, the same being construed as broadly as possible consistent with the state of the art.

I claim:

A package comprising top and bottom members of substantially like size, side wall forming flaps foldably connected to the edges of said top and bottom members, the flaps of each of said members being folded toward the other of said members, the length of the flaps of one of said members substantially corresponding to the depth of the package and the flaps of the other of said members being of shorter length and overlapping the free end portions of the longer of said flaps on the outside thereof, said shorter flaps being folded to substantially perpendicular relation to said top and bottom members and said longer flaps being thereby ofiset inwardly from the normal planes of the edge portions of the member from which said longer flaps extend, a packaged member of such size and form as to have peripheral engagement with said inwardly offset flap portions adjacent but beyond the free ends of the shorter outer flaps, and an endless band having between its opposite edges, substantially uniform internal length substantially equal to the peripheral length of said top and bottom members, said band encircling and clamping said side walls against the periphery of said packaged member.

FRANK D. PALMER. 

